


Vintage

by rageprufrock



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-05
Updated: 2016-02-05
Packaged: 2018-05-18 10:58:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5925994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rageprufrock/pseuds/rageprufrock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim feels like an asshole bully every time he snaps at Chekov, who is barely a fetus, really, which is the only possible explanation for why he's is engaging in this completely asinine exercise. (A Star Trek Bones AU.) Abandoned WIP.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Vintage

Jim feels like an asshole bully every time he snaps at Chekov, who is barely a fetus, really, which is the only possible explanation for why he's is engaging in this completely asinine exercise. 

"Partner," Chekov prompts, a sweet, anticipatory look on his face. 

Jim scowls."Partner," he mutters.

"Companion," Spock answers dutifully, perched on the edge of the couch the way he always does in these sessions, his spine ramrod straight, hands folded in his lap."I admit I do not see the point of these exercises either, Dr. Chekov."

"Friend," Jim says first, because it's what he thinks when he looks at Spock's face, his hands, and that's not necessarily playing by the rules of word association, but it's the best he can do. 

Spock opens his mouth a moment, closes it again before deciding on, "Trusted."

Jim grins."Beloved," he teases, and from the corner of his eye, he can see Chekov's cheeks puffing in frustration, about to launch into another unnecessary discussion of how Jim is purposefully being difficult and undermining Chekov's attempts to quantify their convoluted and 'it's complicated' working relationship, to discover patterns in its meaning, its unspoken subtexts. 

But to be fair, even when Starfleet had said that the only way they'd let Jim continue to partner with Spock in his investigations was to agree to partnership counseling, they'd gone under extreme protest: Jim stomping and Spock arguing every step of the way. 

"Spock is super good at compartmentalizing," he'd told Komack as Spock had pointed out that, "It would be illogical for me to damage our working relationship simply because Detective Kirk is pursuing my murderous half-brother.In fact, I support his desire to capture Sybok, and it is wholly foolish to threaten to end a successful cooperation such as ours."

"Shut up, both of you," Komack had said, and sent them to Chekov's office on the 34th floor of Starfleet headquarters, where he'd met them with foam bats and a hopeful expression and then wanted to talk about their feelings.It had been doomed from the beginning, really and hadn't really improved in the year since they'd been going.

So fine, Jim's not invested in cooperation, but he can appreciate the way Spock almost rolls his eyes, nearly smiles, and says:

"Parent."

"Child," Jim answers, instant.

Spock blinks."I want a child."

"What?" Chekov says, the same time Jim says, "That's not one word."

"It's only logical I would," Spock tells them both, like he doesn't even care that he's playing word association completely _wrong_."Propagation of the species is a natural desire, and I am well past the age of majority for Vulcans; it would typically be expected that a male of my age would have started a family by now."

Now it's Jim's turn to say, " _What?_ " as Chekov asks,"You want a child right _now?_ "

"I had not even considered it was what was missing," Spock says with something like surprise, and Jim is still trying to understand how an apparently benign game went so far off track when Spock concludes, "I apologize for interrupting the exercise, of course, Dr. Chekov, we may continue."

"I am out of words," Chekov admits.

"Fuck the game, Spock," Jim says, "you want a _baby?"_  

"How long have you felt this vhay, Mister Spock?" Chekov asks.

It's almost confusion, the look in Spock's eyes."I have only just realized I desire a child myself," Spock says, sounding soft and a little bit vulnerable, the tiniest bit happy, discovering, and then before he can say something else terrible and awful or admit that he wants a farm full of goddamn _ponies_ or something, Jim's comm goes batshit.

***

Spock has strong (negative) feelings about Jim's ship, and Jim has strong (positive) feelings about not driving around in Spock's flimsy, space-friendly tin can, so they agree to disagree.

"I don't see why you never agree to use my ship," Spock complains in that flat, uncomplaining way that makes Jim want to knock stuff out of order in Spock's lab just to watch him fight his scowl."I'm an excellent pilot."

They're zooming through the blur of the interstellar highway, other ships just a hush of color outside the windows, and Jim is careful to keep his hands on the controls, merging into and out of lanes of movement until they're sorted correctly, surfing momentum toward the Orion home planet.  Jim's never a more careful driver than when Spock is in the passenger seat, and he knows it's ridiculous and the chances of there being another bomb in another vehicle another time that sends them spinning out into space, that leaves a gash across Spock's hairline and a horrible bruise over the corner of his mouth are de minimus — but that doesn't mean he can shake it, the way he'd felt rocked to the bones when he'd opened his eyes in an ambulatory shuttle and seen Spock bleeding green and fragile, unconscious.

"I'm sure you are," Jim lies, and usually he'd start a fight about this but he has better things to argue with Spock about today, like, "And seriously, instead of fighting about the ship can we talk about this thing with you?And a baby?"

"I am fiscally sound and very intelligent," Spock says."I am of firm ethical standing and well-regarded professionally — it is logical that I have a child."

Those are painfully bloodless reasons and all utterly true, Jim thinks meanly, and swallowing hard around the lump in his throat, he asks, "So, do you have someone lined up?For the baby?"

Spock blinks at him, eyes dark like the empty patches of space between galaxies."Someone 'lined up'?"

"Like another parent, Spock," Jim asks, because he knows that all of these considerations are rational to humans, but that most considerations that are rational to humans actually sound completely stupid to Vulcans. 

"There are many DNA banks available," Spock says slowly."Although perhaps it would be better to select a second parent among my acquaintances."

"Oh Jesus Christ," Kirk says feelingly. 

"Perhaps Dr. McCoy."

 

**Author's Note:**

> This story was meant to have a whole running joke about Gaila and Uhura convincing Kirk that Spock had a surgery so he could carry his child to term, and Kirk freaking out about Spock in the field. Obviously, Spock's baby is safely being grown in only the finest of lab facilities.


End file.
